This invention relates generally to the advancement of medical technology, processes, and systems for the treatment of pain, neurological disorders, cancer, and other clinical maladies. More particularly, this invention is directed at a method and system for producing therapeutic lesions or tissue alterations by means of a high frequency generator and electrodes, including a two-dimensional computer graphics menu interface. A two-dimensional display is combined and/or connected to a generator that produces a high frequency electrical output. The generator output is in turn connected to an electrode system which is in contact with the patient""s body to deliver a therapeutic electrical signal. The two-dimensional user interface has menu functions which the operator can interact with to control or monitor the process of the clinical procedure. Interactive selection of parameters associated with the two-dimensional computer display and output of the high frequency generator functions clarify the process to the user and increase convenience and safety. Various specific embodiments of the two-dimensional computer graphic menu display accommodate the specific clinical applications and designs.
The use of radiofrequency and high frequency generator systems which deliver electrical output to electrodes that are connected to a patient""s body is known in the clinical literature and art.
By reference, examples of radiofrequency heat lesion generators used in clinical practice are the RFG-3C Generator (produced by Radionics, Inc., Burlington, Mass.) and the N-50 High Frequency Generator (produced by Leibinger GmbH, Freiburg, Germany).
Typical controls for existent high frequency generators include knobs, push buttons, selection buttons for modes, and real-time, two-dimensional graphics display of generator output parameters such as tissue temperature, voltage, power, current, impedance, etc. By way of reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,515, entitled Real Time Graphic Display of Heat Lesion Parameters in a Clinical Lesion Generator System describes use of a two-dimensional graphic display of lesion parameters.
The above-referenced model RFG-3C Heat Lesion Generator and N-50 Lesion Generator, which are commercially available units, have built-in digital display of parameters such as impedance, temperature, power, etc. They also have LCD displays built into their front panels which can display the status of functions of the generator, mode of operation such as stimulator, lesion, impedance, etc. The LCD displays consist of one or several alphanumeric lines of characters related to the above-mentioned functional or output characteristics of the generator. Other push buttons and knobs on the panel of these lesion generators select the functional modes of the generator output and, according to those functional modes, set graphic alphanumeric displays can appear on the liquid crystal display in one-dimensional alphanumeric strings.
The present invention is directed to a method and system for a high frequency generator and electrode system for clinical therapy which includes a two-dimensional computer graphic display with menu information and user interactive adaptions. The user is able to input parameters associated with the two-dimensional display and observe multiple alphanumeric lines of display parameters as well as two-dimensional, real-time graph displays of parameter values during a clinical procedure. Customized sequences of parameters, application-specific parameter sets, and pre-set parameter values of commonly used inputs can be stored in the system and recalled using the two-dimensional, menu-driven display. A user may choose particular selections of menu modes, data entry, and output graphics which can be selectively input into the system. The advantages of the present system and method reside in part in the combined clarity, efficiency, and interactability of the two-dimensional computer graphic menu style interface in combination with the high frequency generator.
In accordance with one embodiment to the present invention, a two-dimensional liquid crystal display (LCD) is built into the front panel or connected in conjugation with a high frequency generator station. A range of two-dimensional displays in the form of menus and graphic representations enable a user to select parameters, modes, and pre-set application parameter sets by pushing buttons that are encoded to the interface display. The user may interact with the display by selecting icons, associated push buttons, associated level knobs, or keyboard connections. Data may be input and displayed into the two-dimensional graphics interface. Graphical plots of the high frequency generator output as a function of time can be selected and displayed on the LCD screen.
In contrast to the previous high frequency generator systems described above, the present invention enables the user to input information and display it on the two-dimensional graphics. Input of a procedure type, saving parameters, the saving of the data parameter stream for a procedure, the input of the patient""s name, other patient history and legal documentation are possible embodiments of the present invention. For example, the user can enter the patient""s name, the type of procedure, and a set of favorite parameters into the system. This information may then be stored in the generator or associated computer, to be selected by user-activated enablements connected to the display.
The present system and method has the further advantage of allowing the user to observe and interact with one simplified two-dimensional display generator and associated application parameters, and to visualize these parameters as the procedure goes forward. The present technique has the advantage of simplifying the process of treatment control and clarifying, at every step in a visual display, the generator output and the electrode performance. The present invention has the further advantage of saving time and possible errors during the procedure by presenting a clearer visual output, a simplified set of visual and control options, and a less awkward and inconvenient interface as compared to many prior high frequency generator systems.
The existent lesion generator systems described above do not have a two-dimensional graphics display integrated with a computer and a high frequency generator which provides two-dimensional graphing functions based on the output of the generator. Nor do they provide user interactable menus and functional positions to monitor, control, and select the functions of the generator. This limitation of existing generators presents an inconvenience to the user, since they do not provide a single visible two-dimensional graphics display which displays the modes of the generator, and allows the operator to select modes and to interactively input parameters associated with the function of the generator and its clinical application. Further, the above-mentioned generators do not have two-dimensional displays to enable the user to observe in one graphics display options of several mode selections at one time or to see alphanumeric strings of information, status displays, help lines, and menus. Nor do they provide two-dimensional graphic representations of the generator function, control, or output in one computer graphic user interface. Therefore, the information available to the user is limited in above-mentioned lesion generator systems. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a lesion generator system with a computer graphic user interactable, menu-driven interface that avoids these limitations of lesion generator designs.
Generally, present lesion generator systems require the operator to set parameters on digital or analog displays and/or knob or switch positions. There is no provision for storing parameters related to a particular procedure which has been used successfully before by the clinician. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide selectable application-specific parameters for a lesion generator system to save time and to assure reproducibility of parameter settings for similar clinical applications.
Lesion generator systems such as those referred to above require specific attention by the clinician or his technician to set parameters by knobs or switches and to watch several digital meter displays at several locations on the generator panel as the operation proceeds. It is thus an object of the invention to provide a more simple and consolidated display for setting up a particular procedure and monitoring its course during patient application. A simplified, user interactable interface both saves valuable time in the procedure and reduce the chance of errors being made by lack of attention to specific and multiple generator output displays.
For the reasons described above, a high frequency generator system for lesion making having a menu-driven, user-interactive, two-dimensional graphics display has practical and clinical advantages. Accordingly, an effective display of this type built into a high frequency clinical generator and electrode system is desirable for the purposes of safety, convenience, efficiency, and consistency of clinical results.
These and other features and advantages of the present method and system will become apparent upon reference to the detailed description that follows.